The grandstands sit empty during a weather delay during the first round of the US Open at Merion

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Sergio Garcia searches for his ball in the rough during the final practice round.

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Sergio Garcia discusses a shot with his caddie during the first round.

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Phil Mickelson takes a chunk of grass out with his second shot from the 12th fairway.

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Bubba Watson (left) and Rickie Fowler wait at the clubhouse during the weather delay.

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The sign on the scoreboard tells the story as weather dominated the first morning at the US Open.

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Lee Westwood of England watches his tee shot on the 11th hole as Luke Donald of England looks on during Round One of the 113th US Open.

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Tiger Woods of the United States plays his third shot from a bunker on the second hole during Round One of the 113th US Open.

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Sergio Garcia of Spain walks off the tenth hole after finishing thre over par during Round One of the 113th US Open at Merion Golf Club.

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Robert Karlsson of Sweden hits a shot from a bunker on the 14th hole during Round One of the 113th US Open at Merion Golf Club.

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Tiger Woods reacts to missing a putt on the fourth green during the first round of the 2013 US Open.

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Luke Donald receives some instructions from his caddie John McLaren as he finishes his first round at Merion.

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Caddie Steve Williams (left) shakes hands with his former boss Tiger Woods at the conclusion of the first round.

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Kevin Streelman stretches with his driver on the fifth hole tee box.

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Umbrella-carrying US Open spectators leave the course after play was suspended during the opening round.

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The US Open's power threesome of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Adam Scott.

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Masters champion Adam Scott tees off on the ninth hole at Merion.

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US Open officials search in the rough for a ball hit by Angel Cabrera.

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US Open spectators eye players down the fairway during the second round.

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Japan golfer Hideki Matsuyama discusses tactics with his caddie.

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A caddie holds a flagstick with the famed Merion wicker basket atop it.

Tiger Woods

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Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods walk up the 10th fairway together during the second round.

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Billy Horschel shares the lead with Phil Mickelson after two days play at the US Open.

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Phil Mickelson is all smiles after his second round score gave him a share of the lead.

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The scene at the 17th green at Merion Golf Club during the 113th US Open.

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Steve Stricker leans on his putter as he reads the line of a putt during the second round.

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Ian Poulter walks down the steps from the 17th tee to the green at Merion.

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Taiwan's Cheng-Tsung Pan plays from the bunker at the 15th hole.

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Charl Schwartzel held the lead at the halfway point in the third round.

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Luke Donald unleashes a tee shot during the third round.

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Phil Mickelson and caddie Jim Mackay survey the scene on the fifth hole at Merion.

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Tiger Woods fired a six-over 76 in the third round.

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Hunter Mahan plays a shot from the fairway on the first hole of the final round.

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Australia's Jason Day reacts after missing a putt on the 15th hole.

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Billy Horschel plays a tee shot on the second hole in his final round.

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Phil Mickelson jumps for joy after holing out for eagle on the 10th hole.

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2013 US Open champion Justin Rose.

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Justin Rose with the US Open trophy.

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Justin Rose points skywards to acknowledge his late father after holing out for par on the 18th green.

Luke Donald, who surged into the US Open lead just as first-round play was suspended yesterday, slipped out of it after completing the difficult finishing holes at Merion Golf Club today.

Bogeys at the par-four 16th and the par-four last gave the Englishman a round of two-under-par 68, one stroke behind first-round clubhouse leader Phil Mickelson.

World number six Donald, seeking his first major title, leapfrogged Mickelson into the lead when he posted his third straight birdie of the weather-interrupted round on the par-three 13th hole to reach four under par just before play was suspended due to failing light.

Returning for a 7.15am local time start, Donald encountered different conditions and more difficult holes on a chilly morning at Merion with intermittent rain.

"A complete switch in wind and obviously a big drop in temperature," the former world number one said. "So those holes are playing long."

Donald, who once had an impressive streak of 449 successive holes in competition without a three-putt, was surprisingly undermined by his putter.

The 35-year-old Briton three-putted the 16th hole and the 18th.

"Misreads," said Donald, a winner of five PGA Tour events and seven titles on the European circuit.

"Certainly those last five holes are very, very tough."

Donald said despite softened conditions following torrential rains in the last week, the relatively short Merion layout remained a stern test.

"I think everyone thought that as soon as the course got wet it was going to play easy," said Donald. "The scores certainly aren't showing that.

"The tough holes are extremely tough. It does give you a little bit of balance with some of those shorter holes, but you really need to play those tough ones well."

Donald only had about 90 minutes to recoup after heading off to begin his second round.

"I got no choice. Grab something quick to eat, hit a few balls and get out there," he said. "I think it's good to have a good turn around, I'll still be warm."

Woods completed a round of 73, but not before pulling out his driver and putting his first tee shot of the day well right of the fairway into the high grass. Yesterday, he would wince and shake his left arm, particularly his wrist, when playing out of the rough, but there was no obvious sign of discomfort on Friday when he played his second shot at the long par-4 No 12.

There wasn't much else good about the shot, which landed in lesser rough about 100 yards from the hole. Woods then got the ball on the green, but he missed a downhill 5-foot putt and bogeyed the hole to go to 3 over.

Woods birdied the short par-3 13th, but he put his tee shot near the edge of a steep bunker at the par-3 17th and dropped another shot.

The rest of the marquee group featuring the world's top three players didn't fare much better. Masters champion Adam Scott was 3-under when darkness stopped play, but he dropped a shot at the 12th after his approach landed just short of the pin, spun backward and rolled some 75 feet to the edge of the fairway rough.

Scott then bogeyed No 14 and put his tee shot out of bounds on the way to a double bogey at the 15th in his round of 72. Rory McIlroy, the third member of the group, found the sand at both the 15th and 18th and shot 73.

Donald held the overnight lead at 4-under through 13 holes, but he bogeyed Nos 16 and 18 to put him behind Mickelson, who had a much-needed late afternoon tee time after a whirlwind first day. Mickelson shot his 67 - his best opening round in the US Open since 1999 - on little sleep after an overnight flight from San Diego, where he attended his daughter's school graduation.